Fragments
by meltina
Summary: Collection of one-shots featuring various characters, pairings, and scenarios. Rating may change.
1. Timing

Disclaimer: Don't own; not profiting; belongs to Nintendo.

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**Timing**

Goddesses help her: Princess Peach Toadstool had the worst timing in the universe.

_Couldn't it wait until morning_, Zelda wanted to blurt out. But something—perhaps a dignified and rigid upbringing she couldn't shake off no matter how much she tried—prompted her to stand there at the door to her room for what felt like an eternity to hear her friend out.

"So then Mario tells me that I am overreacting, that Samus did not suggest I was fat; merely, I had eaten too much cake and drank too much coffee at the party which made me look bloated. But now I'm worrying if I can even trust what Mario dear says because he never says anything like that or never implies I overreact about anything…"

Zelda bit her lip and quickly stole a glance behind Peach at a clock on the hallway wall. Half past midnight. Thirty minutes into the new day with Peach discussing her insecurities and suspicions with no end in sight. Maybe she did drink too much coffee.

"I don't know what all I should do, Zelda. I've never been told anything like that before. I'm thinking of confronting them both outright and just hearing them out completely. But is that the right course of action, I wonder? I don't want to be confrontational but I don't want to feel like this either…"

Another quick glance: 12:32 am. She didn't think her patience could withstand it anymore. "Peach, I'm sorry but I—"

"Oh my goodness, Zelda…!"

Zelda froze, unsure of what to do or say now that Peach had finally quieted down but was now staring at her with concern. "What is it, Peach?" she asked, suddenly feeling very paranoid.

"Are you alright?" Peach placed the back of her hand to her friend's forehead. "Your face and décolletage are all flushed and kind of sweaty…"

Feeling exposed on top of paranoid, Zelda pulled her robes closer to her body. "N-No… Er, I mean, I'm fine. I'm fine," she managed while inching away from her friend's inspective hands.

"Oh no, you're not fine. Oh, mercy me, you're coming down with a fever and here I am rambling on and on about something trivial." Peach hurriedly whisked Zelda around by the shoulders and began leading her into the room. "You, my friend, are going in there now and getting into bed. Move, move. I'll even make you some of my special peach hip tea. It'll knock you right out and you'll wake up feeling refreshed."

The Hylian princess anchored herself in place with heavy feet. "No!"

Peach paused and blinked. "'No'?"

"Er, uhm… No, you don't have to make me the tea—but I am feeling a bit under the weather," Zelda hastily said, thankful to the goddess Nayru for bestowing upon her the ability to think fast on her feet. "I'll go to bed right now and I will discuss this matter of yours with you at brunch. Is that a deal?"

Peach smiled brightly at her. "Deal! Good night, Zelda. I hope you feel better!" And with a wave, Peach left.

Zelda waited until Peach disappeared around the corner before hurrying back into her room. She leaned against the door after locking it, breathing out a tremendous sigh of relief.

"Took you long enough."

Ike was lying on the bed—her bed—with his arms casually folded behind his head. His shirt was off; his lower half was concealed by the thin white sheets thrown haphazardly over it.

Zelda rolled her eyes and removed her robe as she returned to bed.

"Was beginning to think she'd never leave."

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finis


	2. CQC

**Comments: **This was originally posted in the Multi-Fandom Classifieds on Livejournal, hosted by the fabulous motchi. She had requested this pairing and the prompt was, "Did you say there's a snake in my bush?" So there you go. Enjoy.

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**CQC**

For all the cigarettes he smokes, raw food he eats, and questionable liquids from flasks he drinks, Snake is strong. And fast.

Samus, with her fifteen hours of cardio a week (at least), laments this after she's sprawled onto the mat beneath them for the fifth time, her back flaring with pain and her pride wounded. She's always seen herself as being among the fastest in their group (when she's out of her armor, anyway). And the most cool-headed. But even she can't help but see red when this _old man with a mullet_ is pasting her like she's not the _greatest bounty hunter in the galaxy_.

She kips up to her feet and they're circling again, less than five feet from each other. His gaze is analytical and there's a tiny grin stretching his mouth that makes her doubt he's even giving this his all. Intent on erasing said grin from his face, she shoots a kick to his ribs. He avoids it by capturing her foot between his flank and his forearm and hooking her leg in place. She's embarrassed and balanced on her weaker foot and unsure of what to do other than to try to wriggle her trapped foot free.

But Snake is too strong and kind of fast. He laughs and utters something lowly to her—something about a workout and being unable to push.

It doesn't make sense but she nevertheless takes it and runs with it: "Did you say there's a snake in my bush?"

He's distracted and she uses the opportunity to launch a kick with her other foot into his stomach. It's risky but it gets the job done. Snake is still holding on to her leg when they tumble to the mat with him on top.

Her minor victory is ignored when she feels _him_ pressing hard against her lower belly. His voice is right against her ear, the stubble of his beard caressing the side of her face. "Give me a minute and there will be."

She grunts and roughly flips them over so that she's now on top. "Not fast enough."

Samus can't smell sweat on him while tearing the Kevlar and mesh off—only cigarette ash and faint sandalwood—but she knows that'll change soon because she'll give him the workout she promised.

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finis


	3. The Game

Comments: Yet another prompt from the Multi-Fandom Classifieds. This one was requested by sevarem who asked for this pair and the prompt: "Is that a home run bat in your pocket or...?" (I don't make the prompts up---I just reply to the requests!) Enjoy.

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**The Game**

Zelda knows Marth isn't the type to make the first move. And although she appreciates him, what she wants is something more feral, something like she's read about in Peach's romance novels: a dashing young rogue taking the young noble maiden for a passionate evening in a stable on a bale of hay. But Zelda knows Marth is no dashing rogue. He's too shy, soft-spoken, and was raised to put women on a pedestal—not take them in stables.

He's never even taken her before. Period. And she wants him to, but she's not the type to make the first move either. She'd lay out all the pieces and the board, and she'd tease him to hell to get things started but Goddesses, she will never make the first move. It's part of the game strategy, or so Peach and Samus always say, and Zelda isn't interested in losing.

The festivities have died down to a mere gathering now due to the late hour. The lights have gone dim while half the attendees have gone to their rooms. Perfect.

Zelda finds the young prince of Altea at the bar. His cape is gone and judging by the fact he's on his third round of drinks, he's relaxed. And alone.

Too perfect.

She slinks up behind him, catching him off-guard. "Evening, Highness," she purrs into his ear.

She feels him tense up in her presence and cough into his fist. "Good evening Zel—Highness." He's so cute sometimes.

Zelda gestures for the tender to fetch her a seltzer water with lemon. "So," she leans her back against the counter and faces him. "Where are your friends?"

"The others, they've—ah, they've gone…elsewhere." Marth looks and speaks into his glass, too timid to look directly at her.

"Oh?" Her foot, freed from her shoe, finds its way against Marth's shin. She tickles him and feels him shift. "So they left you alone? That's not very nice."

"N-No," he breathes out when she inches closer to him, close enough to touch arm to arm. Her hand comes up and rubs along his back with the same rhythm as her foot against his leg—slow and easy. "It's not ni-ii-ice…"

"Marth?" Her fingers now trickling along the skin of his nape.

"Yes, Highness…?" His tenor is breathless and desperate.

Zelda clucks her tongue. "Is that a home run bat in your pocket or…?" Even she's surprised at herself for not falling into a fit of laughter.

Marth chokes on his own breath. "Wh-what…?"

The return of the tender interrupts the royal pair. He gives Zelda her drink and she samples it, feeling Marth's eyes on her the entire time. "Oh, mercy me, look at the time. I really should get going." She shoves her glass into the Altean's free hand and moves to leave.

"Zelda, wait." Marth never calls her by just her name so she's implored to stop and face him. "Can I…ask you something that might change…things?"

His straight-forwardness catches her by surprise but she recovers, feigning nonchalance with a shrug in spite of the temperature soaring on her skin. "Sure, go ahead." She watches him step closer to her; watches how his eyes glaze over a little with something she could only guess is lust—she's not sure if it is lust, she just knows it makes her heart race. Anticipation bubbles in her stomach and it's a wonder she's managed to play the game this long without bursting at the seams.

He stops just a few feet in front of her. "Are you busy tonight…?"

Checkmate.

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finis


	4. Moments in Time

Comments: This is for the 1sentence writing community on Livejournal. The gist is: you pick a pairing and a theme set (I picked Alpha), and you write 1 sentence for the 50 prompts/themes. Warnings in place for semi-colon, comma, and run-on sentence abuse. This is supposed to be in chronological order. Supposed being the key word here.

For the Lyn/Link shippers out there. All 3 of us. :)

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**Moments in Time**

#05 – Potatoes

No one except Kirby ever ate any of her wares during the celebratory feasts until a handsome blonde came by her lonely booth one fateful day and regarded the food with a curious eye; Lyn perked with hope and offered him a plate, "Do you want to try some of these Sacaen spiced potatoes?"

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#11 – Name

"No, no, please, just call me Lyn!"

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#10 – Ears

They were one of the first things she'd noticed about him—cute and pointed and burned bright red to match his face whenever he blushed.

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#49 – Hair

Hers stood out: long and shiny—like silk, he imagined—and green, his favorite color.

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#33 – Fear

Giga Bowser was on a rampage destroying everything in his path with razor-sharp claws and scorching breath yet his green-clad opponent nimbly ran along the field without breaking a sweat; meanwhile, Lyn gasped along with the crowd at every near-strike and thought Link was either very brave or very crazy.

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#40 – Innocence

"Um," he rubbed the nape of his neck, grinning coyly, "would you like to be my Assist for the upcoming match?"

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#27 – Blood

After a few rounds of sparring, Lyn was surprised (and relieved) to see the small sliver of blood on her arm—he hadn't taken it easy on her.

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#18 – Speed

The blinding speed in which Lyn drew, attacked with, and sheathed her sword shocked Link, who never thought it possible for one other than Sonic to move _that_ fast.

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#09 – Telephone

He was at the opposite end of the crowded room mouthing something to her that she couldn't hear, so he did the next best thing: he cupped his hands around his mouth and asked her, quite loudly, if she wanted to go someplace more private; he had no idea why she ran off looking mortified or why several witnesses were snickering.

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#42 – Clouds

"Oh, but look at the clouds outside—a storm's brewing," she lamented when he asked her to spar again; he shrugged, took her by the hand, and blazed out to the glade.

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#06 – Rain

It came down hard, pricked them like needles of ice, and soaked them to the bone yet the sparring and tumbling and rolling in between the drops on the field with him made it more than worth a few sniffles later on.

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#19 – Wind

A sudden upward gust of air blew Lyn's dress up high and although Link quickly averted his gaze, the patch of red on his face and ears told her he'd seen plenty.

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#28 – Sickness

Lyn's sniffles worsened and she was admitted into the infirmary; rather than finding a substitute Assist, Link postponed his matches so he could personally nurse her back to health.

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#24 – Taste

"Ew," Lyn's face twisted with distaste and she turned her head to avoid the spoonful of remedial Superb Soup an amused Link had been attempting to feed her, "pumpkin and goat cheese?"

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#34 - Lightning/Thunder

Link never minded thunderstorms until the day one interrupted his newfound hobby with Lyn.

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#15 – Touch

She rubbed the hot comfrey poultice between her hands and warned him it may sting; Link braced himself for her burning touch but found it oddly pleasant and soothing instead.

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#35 – Bonds

He laughed and told her no, he and Zelda weren't an item but they were bonded by destiny, evidenced by the triangle emblazoned on the back of his hand.

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#23 – Hands

Lyn joked about her sword calluses to distract from feeling self-conscious, so when Link casually compared them to his own, she chirped, "Aren't they like Zelda's?"

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#03 – Soft

"Naaah," he shrugged, "because you're not soft like Zelda is, she—hey, Lyn—hey, where are you going?!"

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#22 – Jealousy

_So what if I'm not 'soft' like she is; so what if my hair doesn't feel like silk or if I weigh a bit more than she does, or if my skin isn't as smooth—hmpf, stupid Link…_

_-_

#32 – Confusion

After Lyn stomped passed his lunch group without sparing him a glance, Link frowned and mumbled something about women being so confusing; his tablemate Captain Falcon said it was 'a losing race trying to understand them,' Marth chuckled, and Ike surprised everyone by voicing his agreement.

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#36 – Market

Marth suggested Link buy a gift for Lyn to make amends and even accompanied him when no other man—not even Captain Falcon or Solid Snake—would brave venturing into the women's section of the on-site store.

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#38 – Gift

When Lyn threw her arms around him in thanks for the beaded necklace, Link made a mental note to thank that genius Altean prince.

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#47 – Moon

She knew things were getting out of hand when she used that evening's lunar eclipse as an excuse to spend some time with him.

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#20 – Freedom

Link had been surprised someone actually agreed with his theory that nobility and stonewalled castles were too constricting whereas the outdoors were fresh and free.

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#21 – Life

A life out on the countryside herding goats, riding horses, and harvesting crops didn't sound too bad, Lyn thought.

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#26 – Forever

Link collapsed onto the grass beside her with a relaxed sigh and suggested lying there forever like that; Lyn thought that didn't sound too bad either.

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#31 – Home

They agreed to bring the other over for a visit to their respective realms…even if the notion was ridiculous at best.

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#37 – Technology

"If they can make those…things fly in the sky and make the energy pods warp us to various places, I don't see why there can't be something that'll bring me to Sacae or you to Hyrule in a flash."

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#46 – Sun

Lyn would have nagged him about the dangers of spending too much time under the sun at Delfino Plaza _if_ he hadn't returned with skin such a rich golden color that brightened his sapphire eyes and warmed her heart.

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#48 – Waves

After every match, he'd look for her in the crowds and wave to her and she'd smile while returning the favor.

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#39 – Smile

She had many different kinds—one for appreciation, one for whenever she laughed, one for when she cheered her friends on from the stands—his favorite, though, was the one she had for him and only him.

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#45 – Hell

Lyn didn't know he was there in her room when she was crying inconsolably, and Link felt helpless and hurt, unsure of what to do and only knowing he couldn't stand to see her like that.

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#17 – Tears

She hastily wiped her tears and crumpled up Hector's letter then spun to face Link with the brightest smile she could manage.

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#01 – Comfort

He didn't say anything, didn't ask why her eyes were bloodshot and glossy with tears—he just placed a hand on her shoulder and, for her, that was enough.

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#44 – Heaven

He looked her in the eye and smiled.

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#13 – Death

Although sometimes, the small traces of sadness in his eyes made her wonder if he too suffered the misfortune of losing family and loved ones.

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#16 – Weakness

Hers: his infectious grins and the musculature of his arms; his: her laugh and the curve of her thigh, peeking out from the slit in her dress.

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#29 – Melody

The first and only time he tried teaching her to play Epona's song on his Ocarina, the horse ran away in fright and Link's stomach hurt from laughing so hard for so long.

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#07 – Chocolate

Without warning, he took the piece of chocolate held hostage in her hands with his teeth and smirked in victory while she stood there frozen solid in red-faced shock.

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#30 – Star

She came up to their spot one day to find him mulling over a sheet of paper which had the current popularity polls for the contestants; he explained he'd gone down thirty percent while Ike had shot up to first place; Lyn shrugged and boldly told him he was her number one.

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#41 – Completion

The problem with the jigsaw puzzles and chessboards and other quiet games they would try to play was that they would never finish because either Link would grow bored and resort to teasing Lyn, or Lyn would ask him a question that led into an hours-long chat.

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#25 – Devotion

She asked him what was it about the tournament that made him return for an impressive third time; he looked at her with a cute glint in his eye and said, "The people I've met."

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#02 – Kiss

Their first was quite awkward to say the least: Link hadn't expected it and Lyn went in with too much gusto and bumped her brow, then her nose, against his before her lips made contact with his mouth.

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#12 – Sensual

He finally caught on when she tried kissing him a second time; though she mistakenly captured his lower lip between hers, he groaned with immense appreciation and urged for more.

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#08 – Happiness

She was glowing and feeling lighter than a feather when she traipsed back into her dormitory whereupon Kat and Ana accosted her and demanded to know all of the details of how 'it' went.

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#50 – Supernova

"When he touched me, I felt tingly; and when he kissed me, I saw stars exploding behind my eyes—it was wonderful!"

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#14 – Sex

Kat eyed her suspiciously, "Wow, with the way you've been acting, you'd think the two of you did _something_ beyond just kissing."

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#04 – Pain

Acknowledging and preparing for when the tournament would soon end (when they will no longer have spars in the rain, lengthy talks out on the grass, and awkward kisses) didn't make it hurt any less.

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#43 – Sky

Bright and colorful fireworks lit the evening sky above them for the closing ceremonies and they watched them together from their spot, feeling anything else would not have been suitable.

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_finis_


	5. 12:45

Comments: It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm forever rusty. No prompts here.

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Every day, at a quarter til one, she invites him over to her table for tea and playfully offers him her spoon and tells him to guess the flavor of the cake she's somehow managed to nab from the kitchen. He obliges—it's the only thing in this world besides a swordfight with Ike that reminds him of summers in Talys.

Every day, at a quarter til one, there's a mischievous glint in his eyes as he swirls his tongue over the metal of the spoon and tries to identify the flavor. He guesses wrong. He always guesses wrong.

Because then, every day, at a quarter til one, her cheeks will burn brightly—brighter than her pink dress, brighter than her smile—and she'll feed him again and again, until there's no more cake left.

finis


End file.
